WSOF 7's Lance Palmer addresses critics of 'boring' MMA wrestlers

WSOF 7's Lance Palmer addresses critics of 'boring' MMA wrestlers

VANCOUVER – World Series of Fighting featherweight Lance Palmer cares about winning. Knockouts? Submissions? Fights of the night? From Palmer’s perspective, those things are all icing on the cake.

That’s why when people criticize Palmer (7-0) or any other fighter for implementing a wrestling-heavy game plan to get his hand raised, the fighter is simply perplexed because it is a strategy used to win.

“[MMA is] all about winning and however you can win, then win,” Palmer told MMAjunkie. “I don’t criticize anyone for just standing and banging, I don’t criticize anybody for just getting it to the ground for a submission, so I don’t criticize anyone for just going out there and wrestling.”

As a four-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, Palmer has received the same type of negativity as many other decorated wrestlers when he chooses to take an opponent down and dominate them on the mat.

Being such a young fighter, outside comments don’t fluster Palmer as he progresses through his own career, but when fans and media rag his fellow wrestlers, he takes it personally.

Palmer uses former Bellator MMA champion Ben Askren as an example.

The American believes Askren is the top wrestler in MMA at this time, but when he receives flack for taking a fight to the ground and thrashing his opponent, Palmer thinks that speaks to the lack of knowledge of those watching the sport.

“I think the best MMA wrestler is Ben Askren. He uses it to his advantage and he can hold guys down and he can get there and make guys not want to be there anymore,” Palmer said. “Askren doesn’t get enough credit for it because people think he’s boring, but to be able to hold a guy down and be able to control a guy like he does is something special that even jiu-jitsu guys can’t do, for the most part.”

While Palmer is quick to defend Askren’s style of fighting, he’s also not oblivious to the fact the most popular fighters in the sport are typically ones who deliver memorable contests.

That type of stigma forces a lot of wrestlers to fight outside their comfort zones and fulfill the pressure of being exciting, but Palmer views that as an unwise sacrifice.

In Palmer’s opinion, being an exciting fighter is not something that can be forced, but only something that come naturally to those with the right skills.

Even the most dominant wrestlers can deliver exciting performances, he believes – it’s just a matter of working to the point where a fighter’s skills are inherently entertaining due to how they train.

“If you focus on the technique every day, you’re going to be exciting no matter what,” Palmer said. “If you focus on being exciting then you’re not going to be because you’re so worried about being exciting then you’re not going to do anything out there.

“It’s more about working every day to where everything comes subconsciously in your head instead of thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to do something cool and exciting.’ The way you train is the way you fight.”

At the end of the day, Palmer believes the MMA community is too hard on wrestlers who are deemed “boring” inside the cage.

As a participant in the sport, the 25-year-old knows everything it takes to be successful, from training to cutting weight to winning the fight itself.

That’s a lot to handle for a single person, so when a fighter, perhaps even Palmer, enters the cage and it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing performance, he encourages viewers to remember it’s a sport – and winning should be the top priority.

“It’s a career, and a career is based on wins and losses in the long run,” Palmer said. “So do whatever you have to do to win.”

Matt Brown performed an honest career calculation that led him to his decision to retire after his next fight. His opponent, Diego Sanchez, seems to have chosen the opposite path. For many aging fighters, these are the two choices, and neither is an easy one to make.